Ukrop's Ad - 1983

I can't believe I've been doing this blog for 6 months and haven't posted anything to do with Ukrop's yet. So from the Times-Dispatch's Discover Richmond magazine in August of 1983 comes this great ad for Ukrop's. I love their old logo...kind of dated for 1983 though?

Freeman High School - 1957

I love this shot of two students in the hallway of Freeman High School. Taken from the 1957 Freeman High School yearbook.

Superchunk - May 25th, 1992 at the Flood Zone

19 years ago today Superchunk played the Flood Zone with The 3Ds and Ladyfinger. Flyer courtesy of me tearing it (carefully) off a telephone pole. Unfortunately I didn't go to this show, I was poor...But I saw them many other times in the 90s.

2704 East Franklin Street - Before and After

Another success story with today's pictures. 2704 East Franklin in Church Hill was looking pretty rough when this first picture was taken in April of 1974. It does look like the beginnings of a renovation are taking place if you look in the upper windows, but even the surrounding houses are pretty run down.

Today this house has been revived, along with the it's neighbors:

Top photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

Kris Kristofferson at The Mosque - 1973

38 years ago today Kris Kristofferson played The Mosque with Rita Coolidge.

Today's ad comes from the April 27th, 1973 issue of the University of Richmond's newspaper The Collegian.

Photo courtesy of the University of Richmond's Boatwright Library/Digital Initiatives

Flooding in downtown Richmond - October 1972

From the 1973 Varina High School Yearbook comes this shot of flooding in downtown Richmond. On October 7, 1972 the James River crested at 24.2 feet, easily in the top ten flood stages in Richmond's recorded history, but overshadowed that year on June 23, 1972 with 36.5 feet as a result of Hurricane Agnes.

1809-1811 East Grace St - Before and After part deux

Today we revisit a post from a few months ago about 1809-1811 East Grace Street. Sydney Jordan-Cooley, Lead Carpenter at Restoration Builders of Virginia was kind enough to send me more photos of this house. Sydney and Restoration Builders helped bring these two houses back from the dead in the late 90s.

This first photo looks to be from the early part of the 20th century, judging by the cobblestones and the stoplight at the top of the picture. I love that the house on the corner is the home of S. Katz's grocery. The Nolde's Tip Top Bread sign near the steps is great too. See this post from last week for more on Church Hill's Nolde Brothers Bakery. In this photo you can also see the small wood house that was next door to 1809-1811, as well as the original bell tower on the firehouse to the right:

The second photo is probably from the 1930s. The road is now paved, and a door has been added above the front porch - this door lasted until these houses were renovated some 60 years later. The small house to the right is starting to look a little rough:

The next two pictures were taken in the late 90s, just before and just as Restoration Builders began work on the houses. Looking at these photos it's amazing the house even lasted as long as it did. As one of the comments on the previous post pointed out, the floods of 1972 probably had a hand in the downfall of these houses (and this block):

Last, here's the houses from a few months ago. Hats off to Sydney and Restoration Builders not only for saving these two houses, but for all they do!

Ridge Cinema Fourplex - 1983

Today, in one of my first "West End" posts, I give you a fantastic ad from 1983 for the fine Ridge Cinemas. It was built at 1510 E. Ridge Road in 1970 with two large screens. When it closed in 2002 it had expanded to seven screens. It was demolished in 2004. I saw many a great movie there. The site is now occupied by a Kroger. I love this ad--it looks like the bad clip art family is pushing the logo across the page. And look at the movies that were playing!

Pratt's Castle - 1865

Built in 1854 by William Abbott Pratt, Pratt's Castle was located at 324 South 4th Street in Gamble's Hill. The house survived over 100 years, the Civil War, and two fires in the mid 20th century before being bought by Albemarle Paper (later Ethyl Corporation, now NewMarket). In 1958 it was torn down by Ethyl after executives scoffed at preservationists' attempts to save the building.

This image is one side of a stereograph glass negative, and was taken April 8th, 1865, only a few days after a large part of downtown Richmond burned when Confederate troops set fire to downtown warehouses while retreating.

Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress

Nolde Brothers Bakery - 1975

The Nolde Bros. Bakery in Church Hill was founded by John Henry Nolde in 1892. The building pictured below was completed in 1926. By 1950, the company's three plants in Richmond, Petersburg and Norfolk produced 800,000 pounds of bread a week. This location closed in 1977, and Goodwill later occupied part of the space. I remember shopping at their thrift store in the 90s. The building was renovated and reopened as the Nolde Condos in 2006. Love the cars, and especially the sign!

Photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

Circuit City - Atari Midnight Madness - 1981

I'm back after a busy week/weekend, and probably the longest stretch without posting...What better way to get back into the groove here than a classic shot of a Circuit City store display featuring Atari, Odyssey and Intellivision games and consoles. Judging by the titles in the display case, this picture was probably taken sometime in 1981. The midnight madness price tag has the Atari 2600 selling for $189.99, what a bargain!